18．The Marches were a happy family．Poverty，hard work，and even the fact that Father March was away with the Union armies could not down the spirits of Meg，Jo，Beth，Amy，and Matinee，as the March girls called their mother．
The March sisters tried to be good but had their share of faults，Pretty Meg was often displeased with the schoolchildren．she taught； boyish Jo was easy to become angry； golden-haired schoolgirl Amy liked to show up； but Beth，who kept the house，was loving and gentle always．
The happy days passed and darkness came when a telegram arrived for Mrs．March．"Your husband is very ill，"it said，"come at once．"The girls tried to be brave when their mother left for the front．They waited and prayed．Little Beth got scarlet fever （猩紅熱） when she was taking care of a sick neighbor．She became very ill but began to recover by the time Marmee was back．Then Father came home from the front and at that joyful Christmas dinner they were once more all together．
Three years later the March girls had grown into young womanhood．Meg became Mrs．Brooke，and after a few family troubles got used to her new state happily．Jo had found pleasure in her literary efforts．Amy had grown into a young lady with a talent for design and an even greater one for society．But Beth had never fully regained her health，arid her family watched her with love and anxiety．
Amy was asked to go and stay in Europe with a relative of the Marches'．Jo went to New York and became successful in her writing and had the satisfaction of seeing her work published there．But at home the bitterest blew was yet to fall．Beth had known for some time that she couldn't live much longer to be with her family，and in the springtime she died．
News came from Europe that Amy and Laurie，the grandson of a wealthy neighbor，had planned to be married soon．Now Jo became ever mom successful in her writing and got married to Professor Bhaer，and soon afterwards founded a school for boys．
And so the little women had grown up and lived happily with their children，enjoying the harvest of love and goodness that they had devoted all their lives to．
56．The members of the March family were Father March，Mrs．March and theirA．
A．four daughters
B．five daughters
C．son and four daughters
D．son and five daughters
57．Who was the most successful in career （事業） among the March girls？A
A．Jo．
B．Beth．
C．Amy．
D．Meg．
58．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage？C
A．The March Family．
B．The March Parents．
C．The March Girls．
D．The March Relatives．
59．It can be inferred from the passage that the March family hadA．
A．both happiness and sadness
B．wealthy neighbors
C．more girls than boys
D．a lot of rich relative．
分析 本文一直在講March家的女兒們從小到大的成長歷程，有幸福也有悲傷．
解答 56．A 細節理解題．從第二段"the March sisters"可知the Marches有Meg，Jo，Amy，Beth這4個女兒．所以答案選A．
57．A 細節理解題．從第五段"Jo went to New York and became successful"o去了紐約并獲得了成功和第六段"Now Jo became ever more successful"現在Jo變得更加成功了．可知，Jo在姐妹中最成功．所以答案選A．
58．C 主旨大意題．本文一直在講March家的女兒們從小到大的情況，因此標題應該是The March Girls．
59．A 推理判斷題．從文中可知，March家的女兒長大了，享受著愛的果實，過著幸福的生活；但是，Beth后來病死了．由此可知，March家有幸福也有悲傷．
點評 故事類的閱讀在閱讀時要抓住文章的主題和細節，分析文章結構，根據上下文內在聯系，挖掘文章的深層含義，對于暗含在文章中的人物的行為動機，事件中的因果關系及作者未言明的傾向、意圖、態度、觀點等要進行合乎邏輯的判斷、推理、分析，進一步增強理解能力，抓住材料實質性的東西．
